Celebrating Picture Books from 2018- Briefly?

I've exhausted my library "hold" renewals on some of the many fiction picture books that tugged at my heart in recent weeks (months!). I'll be loading up a couple of totes to return these early next week, but I can't let them go without sharing them with you here. Each deserves a full review, discussion, and recommendation for uses, but the size of my book stack has crushed that dream. Instead, I'll try to follow up with my "speed-dating" approach for board books. Let's see how that goes.

a house that once was is written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated (brilliantly) by Lane Smith. I really enjoyed Fogliano's lyrical, lilting text, but it is Lane Smith's illustrated treatment that won my heart. With just enough ink-line realism to anchor the story to the text, Smith combines multi-media techniques in each of the two parts: the contemporary exploration of a deserted house in the woods and the imagined lives of the missing inhabitants. The ongoing tale of the abandoned house exploration includes numerous nearly-hidden images that later gain significance within the imagined alternate lives of the residents. 
An additional story-within-a-story is boldly suggested on the title page. A little bluebird (of happiness?) slips into various obvious and obscure corners of the pages for readers (especially eagle-eyed little ones) to discover. 
There is a genuine charm to this circle story that concludes with the same short verse that opens the story: 
"Deep in the woods/ is a house/ just a house/ that once was/ but now isn't/ a home."
There is a delightful irony to that conclusion as the little bluebird peeks out at the departing kids from inside the upstairs window. This is all-out possibilities, and kids will love it.

So much for keeping it brief, right?  I'll try again on this next adventurous picture book that celebrates imagination, cooperation, diversity, hopes, and dreams.

Everything You Need for a Treehouse is written by Carter Higgins and Illustrated by Emily Hughes. This lush and imaginative picture book engages on every page, revealing both realistic and fantastic aspects of collaborating, constructing, and creatively occupying "a treehouse". The extensive and diverse group of kids make cooperation and old-fashioned "playing outside" look much more appealing than staring at screens.  And 

The illustration details are like eye-magnets, but it is worth turning back to the text to appreciate the extraordinary and lyrical language Higgins uses to turn a simply-titled "HOW TO" book into a multi-layered life lesson, delivered with a touch as gentle but persistent as a seed, the wind, or a child.
I won't issue a spoiler here, but I will say that despite the diversity and matter-of-fact, scavenged, makeshift aspects of the building processes, I had a mental reservation about how privileged this group of kids seemed: dressed for the weather, access to tools, and living in welcoming environments. I was pleased to see the various versions in what could be different habitats or even different global locations. Still, that reservation stayed wth me, until the final page turns. 
Now, I fully and enthusiastically endorse this book and recommend it for EVERY age. 

(And don't spoil the impact of those last pages by peeking.)

Well, so much for keeping it brief, right? Just goes to show why I've held on to these two for so long. You'll want to do the same, and so will the kids who read them with you.

More PICTURE BOOK MONTH Stars: TOYS MEET SNOW!

In case you missed the post that launched this series, here's a quick reminder. I'm attempting to feature some outstanding fiction picture books from among the many nominated in that category for this year's Cybils award. 
Keep in mind that these are my own opinions and DO NOT reflect discussions among the  Round One Panel Members.
If you care to follow any of the other ratings or reviews I've been listing on Goodreads during this process, check out my posts here.

And so, kind readers, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to tonight's nominee, certainly the book with the longest title:

TOYS MEET SNOW: Being the Wintertime Adventures of a Curious Stuffed Buffalo, A Sensitive Plush Stingray, and a Book-loving Rubber Ball, written by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.

Schwartz and Wade Books, September, 2015

Here's what I had to say on Goodreads:

"Full disclosure: I am such a fan of the TOYS chapter book series that I opened this, their first picture book,  convinced that I'd love it. Sometimes that happens and I have to admit disappointment, even if slight. 
In this case, TOYS MEET SNOW  met and exceeded my expectations. 
I love these characters, and seeing them in color, in their delightfully determined, cooperative adventure to explore the snow, made a sheer fantasy surprisingly believable. Their distinct personalities radiate across horizontal double-spread illustrations that amplify their distinctive points of view regarding the natural/magical world. 
What a wonderful experience this will be for even the youngest readers, but equally for anyone of any age who knows (or even suspected) that those toys filling our lives have secret lives as rich as our own. Pair this with the three short chapter books featuring Lumphy, Starfish, and Plastic, as well as Kevin Henkes's recent picture book, WAITING.
That's what I call an outstanding adventure for anyone."

Now, not to brag or anything, but I wrote that more than a month before the Publishers' Weekly lists of Best Books for 2015 came out. Wouldn't you know they included TOYS MEET SNOW among their best picture books? Congratulations, Emily and Paul.

If you aren't aware of the series that introduced and developed these three remarkable characters (and others), be sure to check them out here: TOYS GO OUT, TOY DANCE PARTY, and TOYS COME HOME (each with equally long subtitles). 

Dutton Children's Books, September, 2015

While you're at it, click on Paul's name above. (Or here: PAUL O. ZELINSKY) It will take you right to his website homepage where you can join in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of his closest-thing-to-perfect interactive picture book, WHEELS ON THE BUS! He's offering fun and easy opportunities to win a 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition! Even if you have an original copy (and every family should), this one is worth having. 

Holidays are ahead, and if these don't make it onto your shopping list some young readers will be missing out on the best of the best in children's books.